Twist of Fate
by Rachel23
Summary: Sequel to "Chicago Hope". Olivia deals with the aftermath. Drama, angst, romance. Don't push folks, there's plenty to go around. R&R please!
1. Flashbacks

Title: Twist of Fate  
  
Author: Rachel  
  
Series: Hmm. I guess since this is a sequel, it makes it a series. Haven't got a name for the series yet. Any suggestions? Rating: PG13 so far I guess  
  
Category: angst, romance, drama, yadda yadda yadda. Whollota shippiness. Olivia & Elliot (duh).  
  
Disclaimer: Mine the characters are not! To Dick Wolf and company they belong. Hey, man, didn't anyone ever teach you how important sharing is? Come on, get with it! Summary: How will Olivia deal with the aftermath of the Livingston case and how will it affect how she handles Elliot's proposal? And when Olivia's health takes a turn for the worst, how will Elliot react?  
  
Spoilers: None yet  
  
Feedback: Yes please. Feedback is what keeps me writing.  
  
Archive: Wherever, just email me.  
  
Author's notes: This takes place a couple of days (yes, a couple of *days*) after "Chicago Hope". So you might wanna read that first. Elliot's still divorced. Boo, Kathy. Boo! Oh, and keep in mind that I'm not a doctor, so if there are inaccuracies in medical conditions (even though research has been done) and procedures, don't yell at me. (Not that you would, of course) Just bear with me, I'm doing my best. OH, and since I did not put dates on Chicago Hope, we'll just say that it took place May 29-May 31. Okie dokie? Character thoughts will be between the *'s and in Italics. This chapter is like, a big bowl of mush. It's as sappy as sappy gets. It's kinda pathetic. Don't say you weren't warned. Many Thanks to my Perfectly-Gracious-Beta, Caillean! You're the bestest! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Apartment of Olivia Benson Tuesday June 3rd, 2003 5:25pm  
  
Three days. It had been three days since Elliot proposed to her. It was completely out of the blue.*I want you to marry me Olivia* the events of that day flashed through her mind as she sat in the middle of her worn-out coach, her injured left leg resting on the coffee table in front of her, the other curled up underneath her, mug of hot tea in her hand. It had been three days and she still could not believe that she was engaged to her partner. *He must have been stoned or something, 'cause that came out of nowhere. And I must have been high on painkillers to say yes! Maybe it was a dream* she thought to herself. Olivia needed to get confirmation on whether or not this was reality, so she had called Elliot and asked him to come to her apartment when he got off work. Although the doctors said she would be fine, Cragen still insisted that Olivia take a few days off. "You still have a broken ankle, remember?" he had said. *Beats riding a desk for a week* she reminded herself, since desk duty was the only other option Cragen had given her. The past three days had been hell. Flashbacks of what had happened to her with the Livingston case constantly flooded her mind. She couldn't sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time, because she would always wake up screaming from the nightmare that had invaded her brain. She never wanted to leave the house because when she would, she would always see people who looked like Livingston, she could always smell the scent of the abandoned warehouse wherever she went, so she became more and more withdrawn as the days passed. In fact, the only person to get more than "Yeah", "I'm fine", or "uh-huh" as a response from her was Elliot. People from work called her all the time. But the calls never lasted more than 2 minutes. She just didn't feel like talking to anyone. About anything. Olivia was startled from her current thoughts when she heard the intercom buzz.  
  
"Hello?" she said into the intercom.  
  
"Hey Liv, it's me," was Elliot's reply. *Elliot? What's he doing off work already?* she wondered.  
  
"Come on up."  
  
In less than 2 minutes, Elliot was knocking on the door. Olivia walked over to the door and allowed her partner entrance into her apartment.  
  
"What are you doing off work already? Did something happen?" Olivia inquired.  
  
"Liv, quit worrying. It was slow-nothing but paperwork-so Cragen said I could leave."  
  
Olivia just gave a small nod as a response and motioned for Elliot to sit on the couch. "You look... tired." Elliot said, taking in her pale face along with the contrasting dark circles under her eyes, as well as her outfit. A tank top, flannel boxer shorts, and the air-cast on her left foot.  
  
"Heh, thanks. Do you want something to drink or anything?" she asked.  
  
"No thanks, I'm fine. Now what did you want to talk to me about?"  
  
"Well," Olivia began, but she suddenly found herself unable to put her thoughts into words.  
  
"Well what?" asked Elliot, a look of concern crossing his face as he saw the confusion in Olivia's eyes.  
  
"Don't rush me, Stabler. I'm trying to find the best words to express what I want to say, so just wait a minute." Olivia said, flustered.  
  
"Alright, sorry Liv."  
  
"Okay, I really don't know how to start, so I'm just going to be straightforward and get to the point. What on earth possessed you to propose to me? I mean, we've been partners for years and you never once even gave the hint that you were interested in me as more than a partner or a friend. And then all the sudden you drop this bombshell on me that you want to marry me? Don't get me wrong, I still want to marry you, I'm just so confused as to what brought all this on." Olivia explained as she began to shake slightly, afraid that maybe he didn't really mean what he had said. He took her hand between his own, in order to cease the trembling that had made it's way down her arm and into hand. He began to stroke her palm with his thumb making tiny designs as he contemplated the best words to express all the emotions that had been floating around inside him for the past 3 years, building up, ready to flood out of him at any moment.  
  
"Olivia, the day I met you, I could tell that we would get along great. And we have. Then after a year or so of being your partner, I started getting these unexplainable feelings of joy and warmth whenever I was near you. And those emotions slowly evolved into something more. But I knew I could never do anything about them because I was married. But then once I got divorced, I was going to confess everything to you." Elliot confessed.  
  
"So why didn't you?"  
  
"It just never seemed to be the right time. We were always either wrapped up in a case, or I was at war with Kathy over one divorce negotiation or another. Then when you got hurt, I was so terrified I'd be able to ever get a chance to talk to you again, so I finally grew some balls and told you as soon as I had the chance."  
  
Olivia's eyes welled up with tears at Elliot's explanation. Timing. Elliot was right. Timing had always been a problem. Everything Elliot had just said matched her feelings exactly. But unlike him, she had never had the courage to say anything. A tear slowly inched its way down Olivia's cheek.  
  
"Oh, Liv, don't cry. I didn't mean to make you cry." Elliot said softly, but then jokingly added "I said stop that!" as his own tears threatened to fall.  
  
Olivia laughed as she wiped the tear from her cheek. "Elliot..." she barely choked out his name.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
All she could do was smile. She couldn't get any words out. She leaned forward and captured his lips in hers. The kiss was gentle, yet passionate. Elliot pushed Olivia back so that she was lying down and he was hovering over her. He inched his lips down her throat and grabbed her shirt, pulling it up off her body. Olivia's fingers worked their way down his shirt, unbuttoning each button carefully before removing it completely. Elliot kissed her stomach as she gently closed her eyes. As Elliot started to unbuckle Olivia's belt, images of Richard Livingston flashed before her eyes. His grungy hair, his wild eyes, the gun, her gun, he held in his right hand. She suddenly burst into violent sobs that seemed to evolve into screams. Her eyes became more tightly closed as she screamed, "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Don't! Please stop!" Except her voice didn't seem to be coming from her. It sounded like an echo that was just whirling around the room. "Get the hell off me, Livingston!"  
  
Immediately Elliot pulled back and gathered a hysterical Olivia into his arms.  
  
"Oh my god Liv, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." He pleaded.  
  
"It's not you Elliot. It's just.it's..it's too." She couldn't get the words out.  
  
"I know Liv, I understand. We'll take this as slow as you need to. There's no hurry. We have plenty of time." Elliot understood completely. It wasn't him who had hurt her. It was Richard Livingston. Thankfully he would be spending the rest of his life in jail.  
  
"Elliot. I'm sorry." Olivia said as she got up and started to walk towards her bedroom. She just felt she needed to get away from there. She wanted to escape from that moment. Elliot got up and followed her, putting his hand on her shoulder, turning her towards him.  
  
"You have nothing to be sorry for. Do you hear me? This isn't your fault." He said. Olivia gave him a half smile as the tears continued to stream down her face. Elliot kissed her forehead and her trembling body into a hug. "Liv?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you too."  
  
Elliot knew that it would take a while for Olivia to get over the pain that had so unexpectedly taken up residence inside of her. He understood that it would be hard for her. He just wasn't aware of the full extent of the suffering that Richard Livingston's assault would cause. 


	2. The Wedding Planner

Title: Twist of Fate  
  
Author: Rachel  
  
Series: Hmm. I guess since this is a sequel, it makes it a series. Haven't got a name for the series yet. Any suggestions? Rating: PG13 so far I guess  
  
Category: angst, romance, drama, yadda yadda yadda. Whollota shippiness. Olivia & Elliot (duh).  
  
Disclaimer: Mine the characters are not! To Dick Wolf and company they belong. Hey, man, didn't anyone ever teach you how important sharing is? Come on, get with it! Summary: How will Olivia deal with the aftermath of the Livingston case and how will it affect how she handles Elliot's proposal? And when Olivia's health takes a turn for the worst, how will Elliot react?  
  
Spoilers: A tiny one from "Slaves"  
  
Feedback: Yes please. Feedback is what keeps me writing.  
  
Archive: Wherever, just email me.  
  
Author's notes: This takes place a couple of days (yes, a couple of *days*) after "Chicago Hope". So you might wanna read that first. Elliot's still divorced. Boo, Kathy. Boo! Oh, and keep in mind that I'm not a doctor, so if there are inaccuracies in medical conditions (even though research has been done) and procedures, don't yell at me. (Not that you would, of course) Just bear with me, I'm doing my best. OH, and since I did not put dates on Chicago Hope, we'll just say that it took place May 29-May 31. Okie dokie? And another thing-ain't I sneaky sticking myself in my fic? The part about Olivia having a friend from college named Rachel? Yup, that's me! It's always been a dream of mine to design clothes, and I actually did design what is my "dream wedding dress". But I'm willing to let Liv borrow it. ;-) Character thoughts will be between the *'s. Many Thanks to my Perfectly-Gracious-Beta, Caillean! You're the bestest! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
SVU Squadroom Monday June 9th, 2003 7:05am  
  
Olivia entered the squadroom, glad to finally be able to get back to work and back into the swing of things. She was happy to have something to keep her mind from wandering back in time to the traumatic incident that had taken place a little over a week ago. She was restricted to desk duty, but at least she could keep busy. Most of her week long sabbatical was spent sleeping and moping around, because she saw no purpose in doing anything else. Besides, everyone that she would actually enjoy being with, or talking to, was at work. Plus for some reason, she just did not feel all that great. She had been getting headaches and becoming dizzy more and more frequently. *It's probably just from not getting any exercise, and not eating enough, and the pain meds. I mean, I just spent a week lying in bed doing nothing. Of course there is going to be SOME physical symptoms. I'm sure it's nothing* And on top of everything else, she still had her cast. *Great, only 21 more days of being crippled* she thought sarcastically.  
  
Olivia spotted Munch at the coffee machine and walked over. She gave him a friendly "Hey" and began to get herself some coffee.  
  
"Hey Olivia, what are you doing here? I thought you were taking time off?" Munch asked, shocked to see her back so soon.  
  
"What do you call that last week I wasn't here?" she said defensively.  
  
"Right." was the only thing that Munch actually said out loud. *Well, she seems to be back to normal. Back to her stubborn self again. Great.* "So I'm guessing the captain's got you riding a desk, since you're still 'disabled'."  
  
"Of course." Olivia said with a hint of bitterness in her voice. *Thanks Munch. Rub it in.*  
  
"Well, welcome back." Munch said with a slight smile.  
  
"Thanks. It's good to be back." She took a seat at her desk and began to filter through the relatively huge pile of paperwork Cragen had given her to keep busy. She attempted to read a report, but all the words seemed to blur together, making hard for her to focus. *Hmm. I must just be tired* she thought and shrugged it off figuring it was no big deal. *Like I said, it's probably from the pain meds for my foot. Stupid foot!* She rubbed her eyes which seemed to make it a little better. She read file after file until it was finally time for a lunch break, at noon. She perked up at the thought of it, because she had plans to eat lunch with Elliot, whom she had yet to see, since he was busy at a parent teacher conference with Dickie's teacher. Supposedly his only son had gotten sort of hostile, insisting that everyone stop calling him Dickie. She smiled at the memory of the conversation that she and Elliot had had about it when he had called that morning to confirm their plans for the afternoon. "Yeah, the teacher said she went to hand back one of his papers, said 'Good job, Dickie' and he just all the sudden stood up and shouted 'DON'T CALL ME DICKIE!' and ran out of the room and hid in a janitor's closet. So I have to meet with his teacher and figure out what's up with him." Elliot had explained. The whole 4 and a half hours of time were spent negotiating with the young man what he was to be called, why he no longer wanted to be called 'Dickie' and so on. She could barely contain her laughter. It felt good to laugh after a week of such depression and sadness.  
  
She met Elliot at the entrance of the squadroom. "Hey El, how'd it go?"  
  
"Hi Liv. It went alright I guess. It was pretty hilarious actually. He told me the reason he didn't want to be called 'Dickie' anymore was because he thought it 'sounded like a pedophile name'."  
  
"A pedophile name? I'm guessing he got that from you."  
  
"Yeah. Guess I bring home a little more of my work than I thought."  
  
Olivia started to think about how Elliot had always tried so hard to keep his work separate from his family. He doesn't let that world touch his family. Audrey Jackson had told him that "that world" was everywhere. "But that doesn't mean I have to be their window into it." Was his reply to the shrink. She also couldn't help but giggle at the sound of the only Stabler son saying something like 'pedophile'. "Guess so. What name did you guys decide on?"  
  
"Rich. He wants us to call him Rich from now on." Elliot answered, not bothering to hold in the giggle that had been buried in him for the last 4 hours.  
  
They got into the car and Elliot headed towards a deli that was a quite a few blocks away. Olivia sat in silence, staring out the window. She finally spoke when a throbbing pain overcame her right temple.  
  
"Hey Elliot, can we stop and get some aspirin or something?" she asked quietly. "Sure Liv, what's wrong?" Elliot answered, his voice full of concern.  
  
"Oh, I just have a headache. Not that big a deal." She said. She was trying to convince herself it was the truth, and trying to keep him from worrying.  
  
Elliot parked in front of a small store and jogged inside. He returned a few minutes later with aspirin in one hand, a bottle of water in the other. "Here you go." He said, holding out the items. Then he realized her eyes were closed, and she was slumped over in an awkward position. "Liv?" No reply. "Olivia?" his voice got louder. "LIV?" She jumped, hitting her head on the ceiling of the car.  
  
"Geezus, Elliot, what's the problem? I was trying to take a nap." she questioned, sounding annoyed.  
  
"Sorry. Here you go." He said again, handing her the items in his hand.  
  
"Thanks." She replied, downing a couple pills with a gulp of water. *Okay, now hurry up and kick in*  
  
"Alright, ready for lunch?" Elliot inquired.  
  
"Yeah. Let's go." She told him, returning to staring out the window.  
  
Sabena's Deli  
  
Monday June 9th, 2003 12:20pm  
  
Olivia sat in the booth, elbows on the table, chin resting in her hand. She moved her salad around on her plate with her fork, since her appetite had disappeared all of the sudden.  
  
"What's the matter? Why aren't you eating?" Elliot asked, getting concerned. He had never known Olivia to have a fresh Greek salad in front of her and not eat it.  
  
"I'm fine. I'm just. not very hungry I guess." She explained.  
  
"Alright, well I'm done, so do you want to head back?" Elliot asked, not at all convinced that she was fine.  
  
"Sure" was all that she said as she stood and put on her coat. They walked out and got into the car. To lighten the mood, Elliot decided to bring up the plans for the wedding.  
  
"So, we still need to pick a date." He mentioned as he started to drive toward the precinct. He wasn't quite sure how else to start this conversation. His comment broke Olivia out of what he guessed was a daydream.  
  
"Huh? Oh yeah. Well, actually I have been thinking a lot about that."  
  
"You have?" he said, starting to get worried. *What if she wants to call it off? Maybe she just wants to wait awhile. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. MAYBE I should let her finish*  
  
"Yeah. I decided that I want an early summer wedding." She said, as a smile began to form on her lips and the sparkle returned to her eyes. "So I was thinking about June 15th."  
  
"Liv, that's less than a week away!"  
  
"Um. yeah. I can count. I mean June 15th of next year. Duh." She told him as she rolled her eyes.  
  
"Oh. Okay, that sounds great. Have you thought at all about the actual ceremony?" *She'll probably want a huge wedding, in a church, hundreds of people. I mean, she's a woman after all. Kathy needed a big wedding. But that was Kathy*  
  
"Yes, I have. I want a small, romantic wedding. I already have it all figured out. First of all, I want to have it on the beach in Hawaii."  
  
"Hawaii?"  
  
"Yeah Hawaii. Now let me finish. I only want our closest friends and family there. And when I say family, I don't mean every single cousin, uncle, nephew that married into the family, or every ancestor that is still alive. I mean siblings, parents, and maybe grandparents, aunts and uncles. Close family. Family that you've talked to more than twice in your life."  
  
"Alright, go on." *Thank God. Hey, we'll save money on the amount of invitations. Of course, that's going to go to the flight to -Hawaii-*  
  
"Okay, flowers-lilies and white roses. Dress-a friend I've known since college, Rachel, is a clothing designer, and she designed a special wedding dress just for me. Now, for the really good part. At the end of the ceremonies, cages of butterflies will be released." She concluded, a big grin on her face. She sighed, imagining the event.  
  
"Wow. How long ago did you plan all this?" Elliot asked, bewildered that she had already planned almost their entire wedding ceremony.  
  
"When I was 15. I used to read all kinds of romantic novels, watched romantic movies. I just took ideas from different things and put them together."  
  
"Really. 15 huh?"  
  
"Yup. I know, it's totally pathetic, isn't it?" she asked, an embarrassed expression overcoming her features.  
  
"No, it's not pathetic. It's really sweet. And absolutely perfect, so that's how it's going to go." Elliot said sincerely as they approached the precinct. They arrived and walked to their squadroom, Olivia smiling the whole way. That was the happiest she had been in a while. They walked over to their desks, and sat down. Olivia automatically went back to tackling the never ending stack of paperwork while Elliot started to work on his computer. "So what does this "special wedding dress" look like?" Elliot asked curiously.  
  
"Well, it's kind of hard to explain. It's sleeveless. The top of the bodice comes to a point, where there is a satin ribbon that goes around my neck. It has a really long train, diamonds positioned in lines down the bodice, as well as diamonds connected the neck ribbon of the dress to the back of the dress. Alright. that made A LOT more sense in my head than it did just now." Olivia explained while trying to sketch the dress on her notepad. "Here, THIS is what it looks like." She said as she handed the notepad to Elliot.  
  
"That's really beautiful, Liv. Your friend Rachel is extremely talented."  
  
"Thanks. We actually worked together on it. She just put it all together." Olivia told him as she admired the dress for a few more moments and then returned to her paperwork.  
  
SVU Squadroom Monday June 9th, 2003 3:45pm  
  
Three hours later, Olivia was still doing paperwork, and Elliot was still on his computer. Olivia's eyes started to droop and her head began to fall forward. Automatically her head popped back up and her eyes snapped open.  
  
"Liv, why don't you go catch a couple hours of sleep in the crib. This paperwork can wait." Elliot said, noticing the dark circles under her eyes, and finally deciding to let the image of them contrasted against her pale skin sink into his brain. She didn't feel much like arguing. In fact, she felt like crap. So she stood up, rubbing her eyes, and disappeared up the stairs. *Good thing she didn't fight with me. Probably doesn't have the energy to* Elliot thought as he returned to his work. 


	3. Beauty SleepClose Call

Title: Twist of Fate  
  
Author: Rachel  
  
Series: Hmm. I guess since this is a sequel, it makes it a series. Haven't got a name for the series yet. Any suggestions? Rating: PG13 so far I guess  
  
Category: angst, romance, drama, yadda yadda yadda. Whollota shippiness. Olivia & Elliot (duh).  
  
Disclaimer: Mine the characters are not! To Dick Wolf and company they belong. Hey, man, didn't anyone ever teach you how important sharing is? Come on, get with it! Summary: How will Olivia deal with the aftermath of the Livingston case and how will it affect how she handles Elliot's proposal? And when Olivia's health takes a turn for the worst, how will Elliot react?  
  
Spoilers: A little one for "Abuse" Feedback: Yes. Me want feedback!  
  
Archive: Wherever, just email me.  
  
Author's notes: Elliot's still divorced. Boo, Kathy. Boo! Oh, and keep in mind that I'm not a doctor, so if there are inaccuracies in medical conditions (even though research has been done) and procedures, don't yell at me. (Not that you would, of course) Just bear with me, I'm doing my best. Character thoughts will be between the *'s. Many Thanks to my Perfectly-Gracious-Beta, Caillean! You're the bestest! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------  
  
SVU Squadroom Monday June 9th, 2003 9:30pm  
  
Elliot looked at his watch and realized that it had been almost 6 hours since Olivia had disappeared into the crib for a "nap". *Geezus, she must really be tired* He got up to get some more coffee, stopping by Munch's desk on the way.  
  
"Hey John. Where's Fin?" he inquired.  
  
"He went to talk to Cragen. or to the bathroom. or something like that. I wasn't really listening."  
  
"Okay.??"  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Nothing. just. don't expect to get any 'Partner of the Year' awards anytime soon." Elliot criticized as he got his coffee and returned to his desk, chuckling. Munch just shrugged, put his hand to his chest and frowned, pretending to be truly effected by Elliot's words.*I should get an award for tolerating everyone else's cocky sarcasm* he thought. *Oh wait, I'm thinking of MY cocky sarcasm. Whatever. I should still get an award!*  
  
SVU Squadroom Same day 20 minutes later  
  
Elliot was filtering through some files when Cragen stepped out of his office into the bullpen.  
  
"Stabler." Cragen said, beckoning Elliot with his finger. Elliot stood up and walked to over to him.  
  
"What is it, Captain?"  
  
"Where's your partner?" he asked, surveying the squadroom.  
  
"She went up to the crib to get some sleep." Elliot answered as he yawned.  
  
"How long ago was that?"  
  
"About 6 hours." Elliot said honestly.  
  
"Well, I think she's got enough beauty sleep for right now, go get her. I have some more paperwork I need her to go through."  
  
"Alright. I'm on it." Elliot replied as he started towards the stairs to the crib. He walked up the stairs swiftly and in no time was standing at the entrance to the crib. He opened the door and saw Olivia lying there, sleeping peacefully.  
  
"Olivia, the captain wants you." Elliot called into the room. "Olivia? Olivia?" *Since when is she this heavy a sleeper?* Elliot's voice got louder as he approached her. "Olivia, knock it off! This isn't funny. OLIVIA! WAKE UP! CAPTAIN WANTS YOU. You have had your nap, now wake up!" He continued to shout her name as he shook her lightly, then harder, and even harder. She still didn't wake up. He checked her pulse, it was weak. He checked her breathing. It was shallow. He bounded down the stairs and towards Cragen's office, stopping at the door and panting for breath. "Captain, Olivia won't wake up!"  
  
"What do you mean she won't wake up?" Cragen asked, the worry evident in his voice.  
  
"I mean she won't wake up. I went in there, practically screamed her name, shook her. and nothing. She still wouldn't wake up. I checked, her pulse is weak and her breathing is shallow. " Cragen followed Elliot back up to the crib and Olivia was in the exact same position as she was before. She hadn't moved even a millimeter. Not even a toe or finger.  
  
"Benson! If you want to keep your job, I suggest you cut the crap and wake up right now." Cragen said, assuming a threat would cause her wake up. It didn't work. *Maybe it's the pain meds. They do tend to make a person drowsy*  
  
"What's wrong with her? Why won't she wake up?" Elliot shouted as he started to pace around the small confines of the room.  
  
"I don't know, Elliot. We need to get her to the hospital." Cragen answered as the worry in his voice was replaced with fear. Elliot lifted her up into his arms and he followed Cragen down the stairs and out of the squadroom to the sedan. They drove to the hospital, using the sirens to cut through the traffic.  
  
Angel of Mercy Hospital Same day 10:20pm  
  
Elliot and Cragen busted through the emergency doors, Elliot carrying Olivia in his arms. A nurse jogged up to them and asked them what the problem was. Cragen flashed his badge while Elliot began to explain the situation.  
  
"My partner won't wake up. We don't know what's wrong.." Elliot explained, trying to stay as calm as possible. The nurse called a doctor over, who in turn brought over a gurney. They put Olivia on the gurney and wheeled her down the hall and disappeared into a trauma room. Elliot and Cragen started to follow the doctor and nurse, but another nurse stopped their progress.  
  
"You're going to have to wait out here while the doctor works on her." The nurse told them before turning on her heel and walking back into the room.  
  
Angel of Mercy Hospital Same day 11:45pm  
  
Elliot had yet to learn anything about his partner's, and soon to be wife's, condition, so he had begun to pace and walk around in circles around the chairs in the waiting area.  
  
Cragen was getting especially annoyed by Elliot's restlessness. "Elliot, sit down. Your pacing is giving me a headache." Elliot just sighed and went to sit in one of the hard plastic chairs next to Cragen. Just as he was about to get slightly comfortable, the doctor walked out of the trauma room and approached them. They both stood abruptly and met the doctor halfway.  
  
"What's going on doc, what's wrong with her?" Elliot asked absently rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
"Well, your partner."  
  
"Olivia." Elliot interrupted.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Her name is Olivia. I just wanted you to know what her name was. So she doesn't end up a Jane Doe on the chart or something."  
  
"Oh. Alright. Olivia is suffering from a subdural hematoma most likely caused by blunt force trauma. Now according to the amount blood accumulated in the temporal lobes, it probably began to form about 2 to 3 weeks ago. Do you know of any incidents that may have taken place around that time?" The doctor explained.  
  
Elliot and Cragen looked at each other as their eyes widened. "Richard Livingston." they said simultaneously.  
  
Cragen rubbed his forehead, processing the information.  
  
"Now," the doctor continued, "Olivia is stabilized, but she is going to need surgery right away to remove the blood. So I need a family member to sign the consent form."  
  
"I guess that would be me, I'm her fiancé." Elliot announced taking the form and signing it quickly and returning it to the doctor. "There you go."  
  
"Thanks. Surgery is on the 4th floor, so you are welcome to come and wait in the waiting room up there." The doctor said as he turned and followed the gurney into the elevator.  
  
"Thanks doctor!" Cragen called after him.  
  
"That son of a bitch Livingston! I'm going to kill that bastard!" Elliot yelled in frustration.  
  
"Elliot, calm down. Killing Livingston won't make things any better." Cragen reasoned.  
  
"Hell yeah it will. Olivia is going up to surgery right now for God's sake! Because of HIM! He needs to pay for what he did." Elliot's face began to turn bright red and the veins in his neck showed more and more prominently.  
  
"He will pay. We can charge him with attempted murder ON TOP of kidnapping, assault, and rape."  
  
Elliot let out a groan from the back of his throat as he walked into the elevator, Cragen right behind him. When they arrived on the 4th floor, they took a seat in the waiting room, right next to the door to the operating room that Olivia was in.  
  
Angel of Mercy Hospital Operating Room Tuesday June 10th, 2003 1:22am  
  
A little over an hour and a half into the surgery, the heart monitors hooked up to Olivia began to beep wildly.  
  
"She's crashing!" A nurse yelled out.  
  
"Charge the paddles to 300!" The neurosurgeon called. "Ready? Clear!" he shouted as he shocked Olivia's heart. No change. "Charge to 360!" he called again as he repeated the process. Olivia's heart returned to a normal rhythm. All occupants of the room let out a sigh of relief. Once everyone was sure she was once again fully stabilized, the neurosurgeon returned to suturing the incision he had made on the side of Olivia's head, near her temple.  
  
Angel of Mercy Hospital Surgery waiting room Same day 1:55am  
  
The neurosurgeon entered the waiting room and walked up the Cragen and Elliot.  
  
"How'd it go?" inquired Cragen.  
  
"It went well. She gave us a bit of a scare, but we got her stabilized again. She's on her way to the ICU for recovery as we speak. She'll have to stay there for about a week." the doctor told them.  
  
"What floor?" Cragen asked.  
  
"2nd floor. But I suggest you wait a bit before going in to see her. Just give the nurses a little bit of time to get her all set up."  
  
"Okay. Thank you so much doctor."  
  
"Dr. Bullock. James Bullock."  
  
"Oh. Thank you Dr. Bullock." Elliot said sincerely as he and Cragen once again headed towards the elevator to get down to the 2nd floor.  
  
ICU 2:25am  
  
"Alright, it's been a half an hour, I'm going to go see her." Elliot announced, not waiting for Cragen's reply before walking towards Olivia's room. When he entered the room, he was only a little bit shocked at the amount of monitors and tubes surrounding Olivia. He had seen victims in the same condition countless times. What made it difficult for him was that it wasn't JUST another victim. It was his partner lying motionless in that bed. His partner and fiancé. He was looking at the woman he loved with a tube down her throat because she couldn't breathe on her own. *I am going to kill that son of a bitch Livingston!* He pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down, taking Olivia's hand in his own. *I took so long to tell her how I feel and now I've come so close to losing her for good. Why didn't I tell her sooner? It was so stupid not to have told her sooner.* Suddenly he remembered the Ashley Austin-Black case. Olivia had returned to work after having picked Ashley up from the 27th precinct and driving her to the studio her mother was working at. She had told Elliot that they had arrived in the middle of one of Ricki's songs. *I only remember one line of it, but I can't stop thinking about that one damn line!* Perhaps it was because it held so much truth to how Elliot was feeling at that exact moment. ~But I wish I'd loved you then, the way I love you now.~ *See. I should have told her sooner* Elliot concluded. He placed his head on top of their entangled hands and closed his eyes. *Please God, let her be okay. Make her better*  
  
TBC. 


End file.
